


Special Cases

by bazzledazzlewriting



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: AU, COC 2018, Carry On Countdown 2018, Cuddles, Day Four, Fluff, Lovebug AU, M/M, Mutual Pinning, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 23:46:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16775350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bazzledazzlewriting/pseuds/bazzledazzlewriting
Summary: When the Humdrum sends a bunch of brightly colored pink and purple bugs after Simon, Baz isn’t sure what to make of it. They seem harmless enough, but when Simon is bitten Baz finds out that they’re the infamous Lovebugs, who cause their bite victims to fall in love with the person they saw last for a week. And that happens to be Baz.





	Special Cases

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the @carryon-countdown Day 4: Fluff!! Now I’m not going to lie, there might be a SMALL bit of angst but that’s because I can’t help myself, but I promise there’s tons of hand holding and cuddles and honestly I just love these dorks. This is an idea I’ve been playing with for a while after I read a couple fanfictions based on it for another fandom and I’ve desperately wanted a Snowbaz one so here it is!

“SIMON!” This was Baz’s first mistake in the long list of mistakes that would lead to his inevitable doom. And no matter how much he tried to undo it, the list just seemed to get longer and longer.    
  
Baz bolted for the boy with messy golden curls and sky blue eyes that appeared way too often in his dreams. Sky blue eyes that he was practically sick of he spent so much time day dreaming about them. But still, as soon as Snow looked into his eyes, he felt his heart melt and his stomach flutter with butterflies that couldn’t seem to understand subtlety.    
  
Snow swayed on his feet, his blue, blue eyes fluttering. He seemed like a large tree, about to fall over and crush hundreds of houses under his weight. His magic was overflowing, filling the air with the smell of smoke, and it only got worse the closer Baz got. But nothing stopped him from throwing himself between Simon and the Humdrum’s next monster.    
  
It seemed almost harmless. After all, what more could a couple of pink bugs do than scare a couple first years? Baz pulled out his wand, aiming at the bugs. They started to swarm around him and Simon both. Baz turned around to look at Simon. He could barely think, his magic was so thick in the air. Baz knew the look in his eyes. He knew the way his eyes glinted with electricity and the way his edges seemed to blur. He knew what it meant.    
  
Simon was about to go off.    
  
“Snow!” He growled. And that’s what did it. For a second, there seemed to be a second of silence. A second where the bugs stopped buzzing and the wind stopped blowing as all of the students of Watford held their breath.    
  
And then Simon exploded. For a moment, Baz felt himself being suffocated as the sheer force of Simon’s power slammed into him like a wreaking ball, knocking him off his feet. Distantly, he heard Simon call his name and felt the crushing pain fade away, as if something or someone was protecting him.    
  
He blacked out.    
  


* * *

  
  
Simon’s brain felt fuzzy. It always did after he went off. It felt like someone took his brain out, stomped on it, and put it back in, his thoughts never finishing and words getting jumbled up.    
  
There was a hollow ache in his chest. A kind of ache that pounded steadily with the pulse of his heartbeat and made his throat seem to choke up. Blearily, he opened his eyes, seeing a shadow of a figure in front of him.    
  
“Ba-Baz?” He says, feeling a swell of hope inside of him.    
  
That’s not right....   
  
“Oh thank god,” He hears Penny says, sighing in relief. “You’re okay.” Simon’s eyes adjust to the lighting and he focuses on Penny. She looked both worried and relieved at the same time and her curly hair was up in a messy bun, a thing she only did when she was stressed or anxious. Which was more than one would think, considering Penny was always stressed about school work. Her glasses were smudged, hunting that she must’ve been here since whenever they brought Simon in or else she would’ve cleaned them in her room. Penny hates getting smudges on her glasses.    
  
“What happened?” Simon says, rubbing his head. The hollow feeling in his chest seems to grow bigger. Like a void. Simon almost would describe it like the Humdrum’s dead spots, but this was more. It was more painful. It felt like someone was pulling him in a certain direction, and he had no idea where that was. Also where was Baz?    
  
“The Humdrum attacked and you went off,” Penny says with a shrug. “It’s kind of weird that he sent bugs, don’t you think?” Simon was nodding, but he was no longer listening. Because now the pounding of his heart was beating to a steady rhythm, a rhythm that said the same thing over and over.    
  
Baz, Baz, Baz, Baz, Baz, Baz.   
  
“Where’s Baz?” Penny frowns, getting her typical “concerned” face. She always does this when Simon talks about Baz. She says it’s because he has an obsession. Simon says he’s rightfully obsessed, considering Baz was a vampire that was trying to kill him. Probably.    
  
“He left just a little bit ago,” Penny says, blowing out a puff of air. “He left for the dorm.” Simon felt his heart start to scream Baz’s name. He was so confused and his head was starting to pound too. Where was Baz he needed Baz why wasn’t Baz here—   
  
Simon starts to stand up, and Penny immediately starts to push him down.    
  
“Woah woah woah where do you think you’re going?” Simon tries to get up again, this time getting shakily to his feet.    
  
“I’m going to my room.”   
  
“You can hardly walk. Rest.” Simon does not do that. He tries to push past her, his mind screaming at him about Baz. He couldn’t understand why, but he felt it push him to tears. He doesn’t understand what’s going on. He feels like his brain is being pulled apart.    
  
“Simon?” Simon stumbles away from Penny, not daring to look back as he bolts out of the door to the infirmary, running as fast as his legs would carry him to the Mummers House.    
  
He made it halfway up the stairs to the large tower before his legs finally gave out. He cursed and swore, stumbling up and trying again, making up a few more before swaying on his feet. His head was spinning and the room was spinning and everything—   
  
Then everything suddenly stopped. He felt a rush of warmth as suddenly a hand grabbed his, steadying him. The fog in his brain lifted and the hole shrank. He looked up at the person, who’s scowling down at him.    
  
“Can’t have you falling down the stairs all on your own, Snow. That’s my job.” Simon just gaped for a long moment, a flood of thoughts filling his mind. He’s so pretty, I bet his hair is soft, I bet he’d let me hold his hand and—   
  
No. What was he thinking. That was ridiculous.    
  
“Snow?” Baz says, raising a perfect eyebrow. Simon felt himself gasp at the way he said his name, the way it rolled off his tongue and filled the space between them.    
  
“Your eyes are pretty,” Simon says sheepishly, not even realizing it slipped out. Baz dropped his hand from his shoulder, his scowl deepening. Immediately the fog returned and Simon whimpered as his stomached seemed to contract on itself. The choking feeling was back.    
  
“Woah woah Snow you don’t look so good—“ Baz jumps a little when Simon grabs his hand, twining their fingers together and practically sighing in relief. He leaned the slightest bit towards Baz, who stiffened.    
  
“Okay uh... lets get you upstairs...”    
  


* * *

  
  
Something was wrong with Simon. Not wrong as in just went off wrong, but a kind of wrong that Baz wasn’t even sure to explain it.    
  
He had this sort of far off, dopey expression on his face that didn’t seem to go away unless Baz let go of his hand. And when Baz did Simon’s face twisted in agony, his eyes glossing over, becoming glassy with tears. Baz could almost imagine fissures in that glossy surface, just a hint of the cracks tearing Simon from the inside out.    
  
They get to the room and Baz sets Simon on his bed, not really sure how to do this. Him and Simon never walked up the stairs together, let alone took care for the other when they were sick. Baz sighs, running his fingers through his hair. Simon whimpers a protest as Baz pulls away from him.    
  
“What happened, Snow?” Baz says, standing over him, a deep frown on his face. He looks Simon over for any damage. Then he sees it. A small bite, on his neck right before his shirt collar begins. He frowns, sitting down next to Simon and examines it. Simon automatically relaxes.    
  
The bite looks red and swollen. Baz is almost certain that Simon was not ready to leave the infirmary, but here he was anyways. Simon was always like that, putting himself in danger for stupid things even if he had a broken leg and couldn’t walk. Sometimes he was so stupidly brave Baz just wanted to put him in a safe little cottage in the countryside with goats or something since he seemed to love them so much.    
  
“Baz you’re so pretty,” Simon slurs. His brows furrow, seeming confused for a moment, but when he looks over at Baz it smooths out. “Like really pretty.” Baz stands up suddenly, causing Simon to loose balance for a second. He cannot deal with this... whatever this was. And if it was some sort of trick he definitely wasn’t going to deal with it.    
  
“Baz!” Simon says, stumbling up and wrapping his arms around Baz. Baz intakes sharply, his entire body freezing up. Simon was hugging him, actually voluntarily hugging him. Aliester Crowley, what was going on?   
  
Simon looks up at him, a smile on his face. Baz pats his head awkwardly. This was weird, even if this was one of Simon’s plans to throw him off his game. There has to be more to this story, and sadly the only person who would know anything would be the other person who Simon would hang out with. Baz groans.    
  
“C’mon Snow. Let’s find Bunce.” Baz pulls him off of him. Simon gets a sort of bewildered expression on his face and it almost looks like his emotions are at war with each other.   
  
But then Baz slides his hands into Simon’s and all of that melts away.    


* * *

  
“Bunce,” Baz whispered scream, peaking out from a hallway. He wasn’t sure what this situation was, but he was pretty sure the other students would flip when they saw him and Simon holding hands.    
  
Merlin and Morgana...   
  
“Baz?” Baz tries his hardest to suppress a groan. Why couldn’t anyone understand this was a dire situation?    
  
Baz grabs Bunce, pulling her into the hallway with him and Simon. Penny flashes him an annoyed look, then looks over at Simon, then back at Baz, then down to their hands....   
  
“You’re... holding hands with Simon.”    
  
“Yes I’m aware of that.” Baz says, flashing a glare. There’s a moment of silence, where nobody says anything, except Simon. He’s humming to himself in a way that is frustratingly adorable it was really becoming a distraction.    
  
“Will you shut it?” Baz hisses. Simon looks taken aback. Baz almost hopes, hopes he’ll come back with one of his snappy comebacks that are awful, but they’re normal.    
  
“Okay.” Baz groans, leaning against the wall.    
  
“Okay is there an explanation for this or am I just supposed to go with it?” She’s looking at Simon when she says it, but Baz is the one who answers.    
  
“I was hoping you would have one,” he says miserably. Bunce frowns at him.    
  
“What did your burning hatred turn into burning passion?” Baz almost, almost wanted to light her hair on fire. But he was a nice person, and didn’t want to have that put on his record.    
  
“Bunce this is serious.” She pushes her glasses up, a hand on her hip.    
  
“I still don’t understand what you’re on about.”    
  
“Something happened to Simon and now he won’t let go of me.” Bunce raises an eyebrow.    
  
“I’m serious!” It was remarkable how Bunce could manage to make him feel like a child sometimes. Honestly, he was almost a little afraid of her.    
  
“Okay but that doesn’t explain why you’re holding his hand.” Baz groans.    
  
“Because whenever I let go, this happens.” Baz lets go to demonstrate and Simon gets that look in his eyes. He doubles over, falling to his knees in pain. Immediately, both him and Bunce react, dropping to their knees. Bunce is the first to reach for Simon, putting a hand on his cheek and calling his name over and over. When he doesn’t respond, Baz puts his hand on Simon’s back.    
  
Simon responds immediately, his muscles relaxing as he leans into Simon’s touch. Baz and Penelope share a look.    
  
“Let’s get him to the infirmary.”    
  


* * *

  
  
Simon’s dreams were worse than usual. He saw flashes of wars and destruction and had a sinking feeling that all of them were his fault. He saw his friends sacrifice themselves for him, saw Baz sacrifice himself for him.    
  
It was too much. He wanted to scream, wanted to yell, wanted to go off. But he was frozen in place as he watched the events play out, doubled over in agony as pain filled his gut.    
  
A bug like the one from earlier landed on him. It had pink wings and purple spots and it crawled up his arm. Another landed. Then another. Soon he was covered in them and he couldn’t stop screaming and screaming and his heart pounded, calling for the same person over and over and over.    
  
And then everything faded away and a dreamy haze settled over Simon. The pain was gone, and so was the war and the bugs. He was holding someone’s hand, dancing in a field of flowers. He smiles up at the person to find that it’s Baz. For a moment he feels confused. Wasn’t he supposed to hate Baz?    
  
But then Baz twirled him around and he wanted nothing more than for a Baz to do it again. He giggles, his heart pounding with the same name, but this time not with desperation, but with love.    
  
He sighs happily, wanting it to always be like this. He remembered hating Baz, hating everything about him, but well... that wasn’t right was it?    
  
Do I really hate Baz?   


* * *

  
  
“I think I got something,” Bunce says, running into a room with a book in hand. After leaving Simon alone for a few minutes for Baz to give Penny the full explanation of what was going on, Simon began screaming and thrashing. Baz’s heart twisted painfully and he didn’t even try to hide it as him and Penny rushed to Simon’s side, Baz placing a gentle hand on Simon’s arm. Immediately, he calmed down. Penny frowned at him, announcing that she was going to do research while he stayed here and watched over Simon.    
  
Baz sighs, beyond tired. Having Snow cling to him like he was a lifeline really was starting to exhaust him. He was finding it hard to hide his feelings when Simon was snuggling up to his arm or saying things like he said earlier. Seriously why?   
  
“What is it, Bunce?” She takes a deep breath, pushing her glasses up. She flips to a marked page, looking for a specific line. She clears her throat and reads it out loud.    
  
“The lovebug is a pink and purple bug similar to a ladybug. These bugs most often travel in hoards and can take out many persons at once. It’s power is, for the most part, quite harmless as long as victims perform the proper recovery procedures.’”    
  
“What are the procedures?”   
  
“I’m getting there!” Penny says irritably. She turns back to the book. “‘When a victim is bitten, common side effects include blacking out, powerful emotions, as well as swelling around the bite. Victims may have a hard time distinguishing thoughts or forming words. This leads them into the second phase of the lovebug bite.   
  
“‘The bug gets its name from the powerful effects it can have on emotions, specifically the emotion of love. Typically, once bitten, the first person the victim looks at becomes the person they attach themselves too, though there are special cases. The bite’s venom messes with the brain and stirs up emotions for this specific person, making the victim want to be near them at all times. While this seems harmless, if the victim is rejected or ignored, it can have disastrous effects. Typically victims experience extreme agony when parted with their chosen partner that can, in some cases, be fatal.’” The blood drains from Baz’s face.    
  
“So... Snow thinks he’s in love with me?” Penny purses her lips and nods.    
  
“I mean, that’s only from one source, but it seems accurate enough. It would explain why Simon gets so worked up when you leave him.” Baz runs his hands through his hair.    
  
“How long does it last?”    
  
“The book said that it can last for about a week, sometimes less depending on how much time you two spend together,” she says with a small smirk. Baz glares.    
  
“So I’m stuck with this? For a week?” Pennelope nods, looking a little sympathetic.    
  
“If it makes you feel any better, the nurse says you’re both excused from your clases until Simon gets better.” Baz scoffs.    
  
“And break my perfect attendance? Nice try Bunce.”   
  


* * *

  
  
Managing Simon Snow proved to be fairly easy. Baz tried not to read too much into how easily he fell into the habit of taking Snow’s hand as they climbed the stairs to Mummers House or not even flinching when Simon leaned into him, head on his shoulder.    
  
Getting his feelings under control was another story. Bunce kept flashing him glances and Baz couldn’t decern their intentions. She probably thought Baz was going to try and use this against Simon, find some way to embarrass him or flat out reject him, making the damage worse. She hardly would leave Baz alone, asking for reassurance over and over that Baz would help Simon recover.    
  
Penny didn’t have to worry. Baz hated to admit it, but he would save Simon in a heartbeat, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Neither of them ever could know how much Baz loved Simon, how much he dreamed of the moment Simon would twine his bony fingers through Baz’s and smile a goofy smile up at him. Baz desperately wished it was real.    
  
Penelope finally left them alone around dinner time, but only after Baz insisted she go down and bring back food for Simon. She didn’t seem happy about it, but didn’t argue. Baz relaxed as soon as she left the room.    
  
Simon was sitting next to him and it took everything in Baz not to stare. Because Simon was sitting next to him, playing with Baz’s fingers and humming thoughtfully to himself. His eyes were closed and his hair glinted in the setting sunlight. A smile pulls at his lips as he opens his eyes slightly, looking at Baz. Baz tries to push down a blush.    
  
“Like what you see?” Simon says, sounding so stupidly drunk it was hard to believe he wasn’t. Baz couldn’t stop the snort that escaped his lips. If Snow remembered any of this....   
  
Would he? Remember it, that is. He seemed so out of everything that it was hard to believe he would.    
  
“Sod off, Snow.” Simon giggled a pure little laugh that made something in Baz’s chest tighter. Simon rubs Baz’s hands.    
  
“Git.” There’s a beat of silence between them.    
  
“Your hands are rough,” Simon says finally. Baz sighs.    
  
“Fire burners hands. Also a side effect from the violin.” Simon’s eyes are wide and curious.    
  
“It’s so cool that you play.” Baz feels like he’s going to melt. Like, literally melt, Wicked Witch of the West style.    
  
“I guess,” Baz says, his voice cool.    
  
“Can you play for me?” Baz sucks on his fangs.    
  
“Maybe later. I don’t want to hurt you.” Simon seems a little confused by this statement, and for a moment Baz thinks he sees a bit of the old Simon shine through, but then this Simon, the stupidly in love kind of Simon that Baz has never seen comes back. Baz sighs as Simon smiles up at him.    
  
He really wishes this was real.   


* * *

  
  
Simon couldn’t ignore it any longer. His thoughts had cleared just enough where he could finish a thought to the end of a sentence. He knew that he was acting dopey and stupidly in love with Baz, his arch-nemesis, his enemy.    
  
And he knew it wasn’t an act. He knew that the first two or three days were fed off of the burning desire that suddenly spread through his heart, completely foreign and unwanted, but the days that followed were different somehow.    
  
Baz was kind to him. When Simon started coming to his senses, he realized how horrible this could’ve ended. Baz could’ve taken advantage or left him alone to suffer. Sure, he could still hold this over Simon’s head, but Simon didn’t think he would do that.    
  
He held his hand when Simon asked. He spoke to Simon in a soft voice. He didn’t hesitate to pull Simon back into a hug when Simon started to whimper in pain. He even slept on the floor by Simon’s bed when they realized on the first night that the pain would come back if Baz wasn’t close, even while he was sleeping.    
  
None of it lined up. Baz was doing everything for Simon, even though it completely messed up his schedule without complaint. He didn’t make fun of Simon, just rolled his eyes and laughed softly as he pulled Simon into a hug, threading his fingers through his hair.    
  
And Simon loved it. More than he should. He loved it so much, he loved the feeling of being in Baz’s arms and feeling safe and secure. He loved staying up late as they whispered to each other, Simon rambling sentences that maybe didn’t make sense, but Baz listened anyways.    
  
And there was one thing that Simon couldn’t deny. Something that he knew, knew lurked in the back of his mind since fifth year, something that was always there, but never got the right attention.    
  
Simon loved Baz, that bastard.    
  


* * *

  
It was Monday, which meant that Baz was going to have to do the inevitable. The past three days were fine. It was the weekend and Baz and Simon were perfectly comfortable staying in their room and letting Penny bring up meals for them, not yet ready to face the world.    
  
But now it was Monday, and they had school. Baz sighs, looking at Simon. He was sleeping soundly, no different from any of the other times he slept. His hair caught the sunlight and glimmered like some majestic unicorn.    
  
Baz stands from his spot on the floor. He takes a deep breath before hesitantly letting go of Simon’s hand, hoping he could get a moment to shower without all hell breaking loose.    
  
Simon’s brows furrowed, but other than that he didn’t stir. Baz breaths a sigh of relief before grabbing his clothes and quickly heading to the bathroom. He showers as quick as possible and gets dressed before heading back in the room.    
  
When he gets back, Simon is awake and there’s a pained expression on his face. Baz swiftly walks over to him, sitting down and placing a hand on his shoulder. Simon looks over at him, a small smile on his face.    
  
“You closed the window.” Baz rolls his eyes.    
  
“Yes Snow I don’t know if you know this but our room gets exceedingly cold.”   
  
“‘Cause your a vampire,” Simon says with a condescending smirk. Baz scowls, easily falling into their old habits and forgetting their situation entirely.    
  
“If I was a vampire, Snow, I would’ve bitten you by now.”    
  
“Arse.”    
  
It was only after they made it to breakfast that Baz realized that Simon didn’t act like a hopeless romantic. He acted exactly like the Simon Baz has known for eight years.    


* * *

  
  
Something hit Baz’s cheek. He opted to ignore it in favor of listening to the teacher ramble about their lesson plan. 

Then it hit him again. Baz got mildly irritated, but again, he did not care. He tried to continue to take his notes like he always did. 

The piece of paper hits his cheek again and Baz finally gives in. He turns around, a sneer on his face. 

“Quit it, Snow.” Simon sticks his tongue out, putting his hands on the side of his head and wiggling his fingers. Baz huffs, turning back to his work. Simon bumps their knees, then flicks the paper at him again. Baz clenches his teeth.

“Snow.” Simon pretends not to notice, looking ahead with a pencil in his hands as if he’s taking notes. Baz knows he isn’t. He’s pretty sure Simon has never taken notes in his life. He crumples up the paper, throwing it back at Simon. It hits his shoulder and lands on the desk in front of him. Simon flashes him an offended look, but Baz is back to doing his notes. 

Simon tosses the ball of paper back to Baz one last time. Baz’s nostrils flare as he rounds on Simon, ready to punch. 

“Read it,” Simon mouths. Baz huffs, rolling his eyes. Why was Simon always so persistent? He picks up the piece of paper, unfolding it slowly to watch Simon’s face twist in agony.    
  
On it there was one single word. Baz turns to Simon, who is chuckling wildly because he passed a secret note to Baz that just said “Prick.” Baz sighs. 

“Honestly Snow, you talk about yourself too much.” The expression on Simon’s face was absolutely priceless. 

* * *

The rest of their day went very similar to how it began. They fell into easy, teasing banter as they held hands or bumped shoulders. Baz found himself smiling, being put at ease by the familiarity of it all. It just seemed… right. They didn’t fight to the extreme like they did before, but Simon also wasn’t draping himself across Baz like someone who’s been struck by cupid’s arrow. It was nice, and a small part of Baz wondered if this, the small banter over something stupid followed by lots of hand holding, is what it would be like to date Simon Snow. For a moment, he let himself pretend that it was true.

But he knew it wasn’t, because soon Simon would snap out of it and, more likely than not, run him through with his sword. 

Baz however, did not think much of Simon’s behavior until they sat down with Penny for dinner. They continued to hold hands under the table as they ate, flashes of pain still crossing Simon’s face whenever Baz let go, but their chatter remained the same. 

“So it wore off?” Penny asks, flashing them a questioning glance. Both Simon and Baz stared at her blankly. 

“What?”

“The lovebug venom. Simon’s acting normal again and not… freakily obsessed with you.” Simon scoffs. 

“Bold of you to assume I’m not always obsessed with him.” 

“See what I mean!” Baz frowns at her, an eyebrow raised. 

“What are you suggesting? That it’s wearing off?” Penny’s brow furrows in thought. 

“I don’t think that’s it. It’s too soon…” She stares down her chicken, before standing up quickly and grabbing her bag. 

“I’m going to the library.”

“Don’t need a play by play, Bunce,” Baz says with a sneer, but Penny is already darting out of the dining hall. 

* * *

It’s almost the end of the week, which makes Baz nervous. He doesn’t know how Simon will react once he finally snaps out of it. Baz doesn’t even know if Simon will remember, but even if he didn’t it would still be a disaster. 

Because Baz doesn’t want this to stop. It’s selfish and he hates himself for even thinking about it, but he wants things to stay like this. He wants Simon to distract him with stupid notes during class. He wants to hold his hand as they walk down to breakfast, completely ignoring any whispers around them (they’ve been constant all week. Nobody is really sure what happened, but it sets them on edge seeing Simon and Baz, who are always fighting, holding hands and acting as if everything were totally normal. It’s been kind of funny, seeing the shock on everyone’s faces). 

Baz wanted to make Simon happy. That was the real reason why he was still doing this, even though Simon seemed well enough. Being apart didn’t seem to bring Simon too much pain, but every time Baz pulled away Simon looked almost heartbroken. He knew,  _ knew _ it was just the venom, but he still didn’t abandon Simon, letting him hug him and hold his hand as much as he wanted. 

It’s Saturday again. It’s been a little over a week since Simon has been bitten, and him and Baz were minding their own business as they ate breakfast when Penny came rushing into the dining hall, a book clutched in her hands tightly. Her hair was wound up in a bun but stray hairs were poking out everywhere and her glasses were even crooked. She sat next to Baz, breathing heavily. Baz frowns at her. 

“You look terrible.”

“Not looking so good yourself, Basilton.” 

“Touche.” Penny’s eyes are alight with life and she’s clutching the book in a tight grip. 

“What is it Bunce you look like you’re going to explode,” Baz says tiredly. Penny pushes everything out of the way and sets the book on the table, flipping to a page. On the top of the page there’s the word “Lovebugs” written in elegant script, followed by a sketch of a small insect. Baz raises an eyebrow. 

“I thought we already knew what bit Simon?”

“Not that! Look!” She points to a section titled “Special Cases.” Baz flashes her a look. 

“This must’ve been what they glossed over in the other book.” 

“Okay…?” Baz turns away from her, focusing back on the book. 

“ _ While usually the feelings stirred up by the lovebug tend to be fake or nonexistent, there are some special cases. These typically occur in someone who is attempting to suppress feelings towards any individual they may feel complete and genuine love towards. The lovebug acts on those feelings and, rather than having their fixation be on someone they see when they first wake up or someone they saw before they were bitten, their attention will turn towards the person they have repressed feelings for.”  _ Baz scowls at Penny. 

“Simon saw me before he was bitten this doesn’t apply to him,” Baz says, crushing any hope that had blossomed in him. Penny glares at him. 

“Keep reading.” Baz sighs, but does. He doesn’t know what this has to do with anything. 

“ _ At first, a victim in this particular situation will behave much like any other lovebug victim, becoming obsessive of their person and craving attention and acting genuinely romantic. This will generally wear off within three days and the victim will be able to form logical thoughts as well as converse with those other than their chosen person. They will still need physical touch to keep their pain at bay, however they will be more aware of it and may be more hesitant about physical contact.  _

_ “Once the victim begins to form logical thoughts once more, they will start to behave more and more like themselves, but less constricted. They will do things they want to do, say things they want to say, with minimal influence from the lovebug. To put it simply, the lovebug simply gives them a boost of confidence to pursue their desires if they happen to be one of these ‘special cases.” _ Baz stares at the page blankly, looking it over again and again. He feels like he’s going to puke. All of his emotions seem to be overwhelming him. It couldn’t be true. Simon couldn’t have meant all the complements he gave Baz, but at the same time everything matched up. It was the only logical explanation for all of this, but there was no way  _ Simon  _ had  _ repressed  _ feelings for him. It just wasn’t possible. 

Suddenly, from beside him, Simon grunts in pain and Baz’s eyes widen in panic. Penny looks at Baz, also looking concerned. Baz starts to reach for Simon’s hands, only to realize he was already holding them.  _ Why is he still in pain? _

“Simon--” Baz says softly, too scared to do anything. He doesn’t know what’s going on. 

Then Simon drops his hands. He blinks his eyes, once, twice, and focuses on Baz. He looks like he just woke up from a dream and his mouth is open wide, his brows pulled together in confusion. 

“Baz?” Baz doesn’t even hesitate. Swiftly he stands up, darting out of the hall before Simon can even do anything. He can hear Simon’s loud, clobbering footsteps behind him, but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t turn back. Not until he’s safely in the Catacombs, hoping Simon can’t follow him. 

* * *

“Simon--” Penny hisses, pulling at his arm. Simon doesn’t want to let Baz leave, but he doesn’t seem to have a choice. He turns to Penny, exasperated. 

“Baz--”

“ _ Simon _ ,” Penny says, this time more forcefully. Simon bows his head. “Simon you just finished recovering we need to bring you to the nurse--”

“ _ But Baz _ \--”

“Baz can wait, Simon. Please I don’t want you to get hurt.” And Penny looks genuinely concerned, but Simon can’t bring himself to feel touched. 

“He won’t hurt me,” Simon mumbles, looking away from Penny. He feels a little bad about leaving her like this, but he can’t just let  _ this _ sit, whatever this was.

Simon loved Baz. He loved him so much and he didn’t want the past week to disappear. He didn’t know if Baz felt the same, but he wasn’t just going to leave it unspoken. He  _ needed  _ to know. 

Simon knew exactly where to find him. It really wasn’t that hard. He goes down to the catacombs, trying his luck with a finding spell. Of course, the spell backfires slightly and Simon feels himself actually being  _ pulled  _ towards Baz. He stumbles, rounding a corner. He knocks both himself and Baz to the ground. Baz looks dazed as Simon scrambles off of him, but there’s tears in his eyes. Simon puts his hands on Baz’s cheeks, wiping them away. 

“What are you doing here, Snow?” Baz says, giving him a half-hearted scowl. 

Simon answers with a kiss. Because he wants to. Because he’s wanted to kiss Baz for as long as he could remember, yet he still hasn’t. Because he’s terrible with words and has no idea how to tell Baz about the emotions swirling in his chest. 

Baz pushes him away and fear claws at Simon’s gut.  _ He messed up he messed up a lot. _ Baz looks at him, his cheeks tinged pink, looking at Simon with an unreadable expression. Simon hated how good Baz was at hiding his emotions. 

“Are you still under the lovebug’s spell?” Baz whispers softly, his voice sounding uncharacteristically sad. Simon shakes his head and keeps shaking it as the words, “no” tumble from his lips. Baz looks at him with wide eyes and Simon doesn’t even know what to think anymore. Baz moves closer and Simon isn’t sure if he’s going to kiss him or bite him. 

And then Baz’s lips are on his and Simon feels his heart stutter in his chest. He can’t believe it. Baz is kissing him. He’s kissing Baz, and the world is upside down. 

* * *

Baz is kissing Simon and the only thing he can think about is how Simon said the lovebug venom wore off. This wasn’t bitten, love spell Simon. This was the real Simon. 

_ And he wanted to kiss Baz. _

* * *

Baz burst into a fit of giggles, his hands knotted in Simon’s hair. Simon didn’t know what was going on, but he felt himself giggle too, his arms draped around Baz’s neck. He felt so inexplicably happy that he could barely contain himself. Because he kissed Baz and Baz kissed him back. Because this has been the best week of his life, and he wanted every single day to be like this. He wanted to hold Baz’s hand and hug him and kiss him until his lips were sore. 

He sighs, leaning into Baz and Baz doesn’t even hesitate to wrap his arms around him, burying his face in Simon’s curls. Simon smiles, taking a deep breath. 

“Can everyday be like this,” Simon whispers into the silence. Baz chuckles a little. It’s so soft and loving it makes everything in Simon melt. 

“Maybe not exactly but… yes.” The last word comes out in a breathless whisper, as if Baz couldn’t believe what he was saying. Simon pulls back, looking at him with a wide grin.

“Good.” And then, Simon kisses him again, the kiss holding the promise of many more like it to come.    
  



End file.
